Digesting It All

Digesting It All

Our coffee cups were empty again. Anita had a few more questions about copyrights, but after answering them I indicated it was time to wrap things up.

Creating the Content

Creating the Content After spending a good half-hour looking up keyword values, it was time to refill our coffees and talk about some other things. While Claude went to get our order, I asked Anita if she was still happy with her topic selection.

Finding the Right Topic

Finding the Right Topic Claude objected to my characterizations. "You make it sound like I'm only in it for the money," he said, "and that Stef just wants to be famous. And she's not even here to defend herself! Anita's the only one who looks good."

Why Publish on the Web?

 

Why Publish on the Web? We all sipped our coffees while the two of them considered my question. Anita was the first to answer. "They want to help others?" she asked. "Good answer!" I said, smiling. "The Internet connects computers together, but the Web connects people together. Remember, the Web started as a way for researchers to help one another by sharing information. Individuals have always played an important part in making the Web what it is today. "Think of all the Web sites built by individuals or small groups," I continued. "There are many examples: Fans build sites devoted to favorite musicians or celebrities; proud parents post family pictures; the sick create support communities for their illnesses and conditions. Most of these sites aren't money-making ventures, but their creators devote substantial time to their upkeep." "And don't forget blogs," said Anita. "Blogs are a great example of how individuals affect the Web," I agreed, "because they're so tied to a person or a small group of people. But all a blog does is make it easy to publish on the Web. We still need an answer to why people create sites and blogs."

The Next Challenge

The Next Challenge

We were all feeling pretty tired at this point, and it was late, so it was time to wrap up our session.

"I hope you understand the AdSense program now," I said to the other three.

Anita was tired, but enthusiastic. "It does sound pretty simple," she agreed. "If I had a Web site, I'd be going online right now to join the program!"

"Yeah, that's the problem," Claude said, "you need a site. That's where it gets complicated, I guess."

"No," I disagreed, "building a site isn't that complicated once you get started. We'll get to that later. But first we need to talk about topic selection, how to figure out what your site should be about."

"To maximize the money you'll make?" Anita asked.

"Not just that," I said, "but that's certainly an obvious reason. We'll save it for a separate session, though." I turned to Stef. "You probably don't need to come to the next one because you already have a blog running."

"Yeah," she agreed, "but I don't like the way it looks. I wish I had more control over it."

"We'll get to that, too," I reassured her, "but first I'll need a session with your dad and your sister to talk about possible topics." I turned to the other two. "That is, if you're interested in proceeding?"

"Absolutely," said Claude.

"You bet!" said Anita.

It would take a while for the three of them to digest what they'd just heard, so we set the next meeting time and parted company.

Who Pays for the Web?

Who Pays for the Web? Stef nodded in agreement, but Claude and Anita seemed surprised by that. "I thought," Claude said, "that the Web was started by the government. You know, for military research."

Understanding AdSense ,Chapter Two.

Understanding AdSense ,Chapter Two. > Eric: Tonight I'm going to explain Google's AdSense program         to you.              > Anita: Ads annoy me, actually. They're always showing up where                       I don't want to see them.

Moving Forward

Moving Forward "You know," Claude continued, "I think Anita would also be interested in learning this stuff." Anita was Claude's eldest daughter. She stayed at home to look after her two young children.

Blogging for Money

 

Blogging for Money Basic Blogging The blog portal www.blogger.com has a good section on basic blogging. A brief but interesting history of blogging by Dave Winer, author of the longest-running weblog on the Net, is at http://newhome.weblogs.com/historyOfWeblogs. "OK," said Claude, "I think I understand the basics. It does seem pretty simple."

Web Basics

Web Basics "That's a great story," said Claude after I had finished, "but you got lucky. It doesn't help me make money." "On the contrary," I replied. "Luck played a part, but so did know-how. By fine-tuning and updating the page and directing traffic to the site, I probably doubled my profit."

A Case in Point

A Case in Point Claude was still dubious. "So how much money can I make?" he asked me. "I bet it's not much." "It depends on two factors," I answered. "How many visitors does your site get? How much are the advertisers willing to pay you? Multiply the two together and you'll know how much money you'll make." Claude was direct: "So how much money do you make?"

Who Cares about My Pages?

Who Cares about My Pages? After I had described the process, Claude expressed doubts about it. "I don't know," he said. "It seems too easy. I can see why popular sites like CNN.com and Forbes.com make money by selling advertising space, but why would any advertiser want to rent space on my pages?" About AdWords See Chapter 2 for more on Google's AdWords program.

The Four Steps of AdSense

Since Claude seemed eager to continue, I sat down next to him and sketched the process for him on a pad of paper. "Like most things," I explained, "the amount of money you make will probably be in direct proportion to the amount of thought and effort you put into the process." Here are the steps I described to Claude. Web Stats Many sites offer statistics on Internet usage; a site that covers worldwide Internet usage patterns and trends is www.internetworldstats.com/.

The Elevator Pitch

The Elevator Pitch It was time for my elevator pitch about making money with Google. Maybe you're unfamiliar with the term elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is a very short talk or presentation designed to drum up interest in an idea or concept. It traditionally refers to an on-the-spot idea description made by an entrepreneur to grab the attention of a potential investor cornered in an elevator. We weren't in an elevator,

Making Money with Google .Chapter one.

Chapter one. Making Money with Google * Claude: Is it easy to build a Web site?             *  Eric: Sure. You can find instructions on the Web. There are                      lots of books about building Web sites, too. * Claude: But can you make money with a Web site?             *  Eric: Absolutely. And you don't even need anything to sell. I                      do it with my own site. Claude was visiting me one day. As an early retiree with two grown children, Claude has a lot of free time, and he spends a good chunk of it at his computer, talking to friends and